Leading elderly care charity Help the Aged yesterday announced a merger with Research into Ageing in a move that promises unprecedented investment in medical research into ageing issues.
The organisations share a common aim of increasing the quality of life for older people, whose growing life expectancy means that they also suffer greater long-term illness. Dedicated research funding for this area, however, has been limited.Unlike cancer research, which is supported by a number of charities, there has been only a trickle of funds for work on the causes of debilitating conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Indeed, it was only last year that ageing research made it on to the national science and innovation agenda with the announcement of a £5m Economic and Social Research Council programme into population ageing.
The charities' merger has already made an impact: Help the Aged, which has an annual income of £60m, has committed an extra £2m to research over two years. This new, long-term commitment to medical research by the charity - better known for its campaign work and practical support for older people - has thrilled scientists working for Research into Ageing, which is currently funding groundbreaking research in 30 projects across the country.
The charity was set up 25 years ago but, until now, its funding has been limited to short-term projects. Earlier this month, though, research institutes were invited to apply for two £500,000 grants earmarked for five-year projects. Further smaller grants will be available later this year for fellowships and for PhD students studying ageing.
For Susanne Sorenson, research manager for the charity, which will be a subsidiary of Help the Aged, the cash boost could not have come at a better time. Advances in science have opened huge areas for research and the merger is "the most exciting development in the history of the charity", she says.
"Science and technology can and will deliver better health and quality of life for all, but only with the major investment pledged by our new partner. We have had some very exciting projects which have far-reaching implications, but our hands have been tied in funding longer-term projects. There is a enormous amount of work to do, particularly in neurology, which involves multi-disciplinary, collaborative work. This money will allow us to attract the best students and provide funding to long-term projects for the first time."
The charity's existing projects are very varied, including development of drugs but also studies into how to reduce the incidence of falls, the biggest cause of accidental death among older people. Most of this work is conducted away from the public eye. Last year, though, a study of nematode worms became the unlikely focus of media attention when scientists in Manchester and California reported they had increased the worms' lifespan using drugs. The findings were hailed as a milestone in the understanding of ageing and they may help development of treatments for dementia.
It is likely that some of the extra money will be earmarked for a collaborative research project on Alzheimer's. Different teams of scientists are already attempting to detect early signs of the condition, and to develop a blood test for diagnosis. Others are studying what happens in the brain's nerve cells and are examining the genetic patterns of the disease.
"Alzheimer's is a terrible problem to the NHS, with the costs involved to carers who have to carry the burden and to the elderly themselves who are aware in the early stages they have the disease," says Sorenson. "It is a tragedy for all concerned, yet little is really known about it. The extra funding will mean we can conduct proper trials once scientists have an idea on how to prevent it. However, that is a long way ahead."
Other advances will come sooner. A clinical trial is about to take place of a drug that promises to reduce inflammation caused by a stroke, offering the prospect of a breakthrough in treatment of this often paralysing condition.
For Help the Aged, which is also considering closer ties with the other leading elderly care charity, Age Concern, such research will help it direct practical support where it is most needed, giving it a better understanding of the needs and care of older people. At the same time, it will give it a stronger voice in promoting medical research into age-related conditions.
"We believe research must underpin all that we do," says Steve Jones, communications director. "Merging with Research into Ageing is a fundamental part of that. Older people are suffering from illness for too long. With poor health comes isolation and loss of dignity. We want to take advantage of any outcomes of research to bring down the barriers of ill-health and give older people fuller lives."
